I’ve been a fan of travel shows for as long as I can remember. Whether it was Rick Steves’ Europe or the tours of Samantha Brown, or the mystifying and uncommon adventures in Globe Trekker, if it was travel related, I’d be watching it. So it was no surprise that I listened to my colleague’s suggestion to watch An Idiot Abroad on Netflix this week.

The British travel documentary series, produced by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, follows actor and radio personality Karl Pilkington’s adventures around the world. Being unsophisticated and possessing no regard for political correctness, a devout fear of change, and relentless ignorance, Pilkington is sent off to some of the most strange and admired places around the globe.

According to its producers, this show is both an expensive practical joke and a social experiment. Throughout the three seasons of Idiot Abroad, Pilkington is forced out of his comfort zone as he visits notable sights and hidden treasures in a number of countries, including China, India, and Brazil, among others.  In the style of the show, the host spends weeks overseas in different lands only to come back at the end of the season and share what he’s learned. The final episodes of each season involve Pilkington coming home and recapping his adventures to Gervais and Merchant, with the end result hopefully being new knowledge and acceptance of the world outside of England.

I can very easily call An Idiot Abroad a humorous way of tackling the daunting task of learning about different cultures. It can be said that viewers pity Pilkington’s sense of displacement in the face of these exotic cultures, while simultaneously love the awkwardness of it all.

An Idiot Abroad made me laugh with its classic Gervais style of intelligent humor at someone else’s expense. The executive producer even says, “[Karl] is a round, empty-headed chimp like moron”; but a loveable moron indeed.

This has gained a special place on the list of my favorite travel shows. It’s fantastic as well as fascinating, heartwarming as well as hilarious. An Idiot Abroad is a program worthy of your viewership. Seasons 1-3 are currently available on Netflix.